Mayor says streetcars shouldn't run past the Alamo

Updated 6:14 pm, Wednesday, May 1, 2013

VIA Metropolitan's downtown streetcars should not pass in front of the Alamo, Mayor Julián Castro and several council members told VIA Metropolitan Transit officials Wednesday at an informational session about the rail project.

No vote was taken, but the council was briefed on six potential streetcar routes, two of which would put the tracks on Alamo Street in front of the historic shrine.

VIA will determine the exact streets where the two routes — one running north and south, the other east and west — would go by the end of the summer. The streetcar project, expected to cost at least $190 million to $200 million, could be operational by 2017.

“That space is, of course, a very special space that probably deserves more serenity than the streetcar going through it,” Castro said after the meeting. Councilmen Diego Bernal, David Medina, Reed Williams and Carlton Soules reiterated the mayor's concerns.

One alternative to Alamo Street would put streetcars on St. Mary's or Navarro streets.

There were also some questions about whether the streetcar should go through HemisFair Park. The mayor has supported the rail line through the park but said he'll listen to alternatives.

Two of VIA's proposed plans show streetcars on César Chávez Boulevard, next to the park.

Other council members said VIA needs to do a better job explaining the project to the community.

VIA's Chief Development Officer Brian Buchanan said planners still have to go through a process to determine which route best meets the agency's goals but that he will take the council's concerns back to the VIA board.